VILLANOVA, Pa. _ At one point in Tuesday night's Big Five game at the Pavilion, Villanova's Josh Hart missed five straight shots and was playing as if all the minutes he has logged thus far this season had finally gotten to him.
And then, all of a sudden, he went off. Hart scored 22 points in a nine-minute period counting the closing minute of the first half and opening of the second half. He finished with 26 and carried the Wildcats to a 78-57 victory over Temple and their fourth consecutive City Series championship.
The win for Villanova (11-0, 4-0 Big Five) was a program-record 17th in a row and its 18th straight in city competition dating to the 2012-13 season, an extension of its own mark.
The Owls (7-4), who were led by Shizz Alston Jr. with 12 points, finished 3-1 against Big Five opponents. They shot just 25 percent from the floor in the first half, 37 percent for the game, and committed 18 turnovers.
Hart, who missed just four shots in the entire game Saturday when he scored a career-high 37 points against Notre Dame, made his first basket of Tuesday night's contest on his sixth attempt. He had two points before Villanova went on a 9-0 run to close the first half. He scored the last six points for his team, and the Wildcats went into the locker room leading by 29-16.
The Cats were up 38-26, with Hart scoring two of their first nine points of the half. Then he scored 'Nova's next 11 points _ three 3-point baskets and a layup off a lob pass from Mikal Bridges.
After Kris Jenkins hit a 3, Hart hung in the air for a basket and was fouled, hitting the free throw to give him 24 points for the game and the Wildcats a 54-33 lead with 11:55 to play. The Villanova lead reached 28 points later in the half.
Jalen Brunson added 13 points and Jenkins and Eric Paschall 12 apiece for Villanova.
For Temple, Obi Enechionyia, who came into the game averaging 18.6 points, was held to eight points and turned the ball over six times.
The Wildcats sank five of their last nine shots from the field in the first half and shot 34.6 percent. Temple, which committed 12 turnovers, managed just 25 percent shooting on 6 of 24 from the floor. Daniel Dingle scored eight points to lead the Owls in the first half.
Both teams struggled with their shooting in the opening 13 minutes, combining to connect on just seven of their first 34 shots. But the Owls also committed eight turnovers during that stretch, keeping them from getting into an offensive flow.
Leading 11-8, the Wildcats scored nine straight points, including a 3-pointer from Jenkins, to take a 12-point advantage on Hart's running bank shot _ his first points of the game _ with 4:57 left in the period.
The Owls answered with an 8-0 run sparked by Dingle, who began the spurt with a driving layup and finished it with an offensive rebound basket that led to a three-point play, narrowing the Temple deficit to 20-16 with 2:52 to play.
But the Owls never scored again in the half and Villanova put up the final nine points.
